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Liverpool have agreed a deal with Bayern Munich for Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The Anfield side will pay £20 million across Thiago’s four-year contract, with the potential for £5m in add-ons, and the midfielder will wear the No 6 jersey.

It had initially looked like any deal would be dependent on the future of Georginio Wijnaldum, who is also in the final year of his Anfield contract, but Liverpool have decided to make their move now.

Thiago helped Bayern win the treble last season, as they beat PSG in the Champions League final last month in Lisbon.

Bayern boss Hansi Flick paid tribute to Thiago on Thursday and revealed he had said his goodbyes to players and staff at the club.

“Thiago is an exceptional player who spent seven hugely successful years here,” Flick said. “He’s a wonderful person and an outstanding professional. It was very emotional today when he said goodbye to us all.”

In July Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that Thiago had told the club that he wanted a new challenge.

Rummenigge admitted that talks between the player and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic over a new deal had broken down as he wished to leave Germany and said the club would accept a “reasonable price” for him.

The Spanish international started his career at Barcelona and was handed his debut for the Catalan side by Pep Guardiola in 2009 at the age of 18.

He was an unused substitute as Barca beat Manchester United in the Champions League final the following season.

Thiago joined up with Guardiola again in 2013 when the new Bayern boss took him to Bavaria where he went on to win seven Bundesliga titles and four DFB-Pokal cups.

“Liverpool’s stance throughout the summer was that they would not be signing Thiago Alcantara – that changed a little a couple of weeks ago when the suggestion was that they would only try to sign him if someone was leaving but they didn’t believe that was going to happen.

“Now Liverpool have decided to go ahead regardless of that and they think Thiago is the man for them.

“Jurgen Klopp had also been consistent throughout the summer – Liverpool would not be doing business unless a really good opportunity presented itself and a deal was there to be done.

“This is a deal that Liverpool could not turn down.

“At 29 Thiago does not necessarily fit the FSG model of buying players young, coaching them and increasing their ability and value, but the out-and-out quality of Thiago, combined with his experience of performing on the biggest stage meant this particular move was a no-brainer.

“He is a player for the here and now, untested in the Premier League but someone who is used to performing on the biggest stage for Barcelona, Bayern and Spain.

“The signing should also help to solve an issue that Liverpool have recognised recently – Trent Alexander Arnold alluded to it in an interview a couple of weeks ago – the game plan needs to change.

“It has been in the back of Liverpool’s minds to change the dynamic in midfield. It is not a case of things going stale but they are keen to give the opposition something else to think about now. Liverpool have been playing the same way for a couple of years and Thiago brings them something completely different.

“The signing of Bayern Munich’s treble-winning midfielder renews that competition for places and says to the other players in that position that they have to raise their game again.

“Klopp knew Leeds would present a real challenge and something different on the opening day of the Premier League season and the signing of this type of midfielder allows Liverpool to change things a little themselves and catch other teams out.

“They have now decided to move from a position of strength to freshen things up and give other teams something new to think about.” – Sky Sports